Metal-heating apparatus



- Dec. 13, 1927.

mvENToR ATTonNEY Ppatented Dec. 13, 1927 mam' r'AN'Y, orfs'i. LoUIs, MIS'OURI, A' CORPORATION or MI'soUnr a'iyineat'ion fiie'necenizer 2a, 1926. serial No. isaao.V o

My invention pertains -to metal -he'ating app'a'ratus and particulai'ly to a method and means 'of' maintaining a'constant supply of metal he'ated' to a'sufliciently .high temperature for' foifging andv otherz Operations,

whereb an' automatic bolt machine,l forex? a'lnp'le,v can be k'ept in continuous operation.

So far as I am aware the on'l .two prior methods proposed for accomplish-ing .thisfres'ult, are tq-conivey ro'dto be heated ifn a straightline through the ,ifurnace, or. inl a helical path t'herein. 'Ifhe' first 'requires a Very long furnace; undeslrable with respect.

both to space and'efiiciencyrand the second 'f i's` very difii'cultof 'sa'tisfactory accomplishment fora number of reasons, lamong' which V'isltl'ie Varying' rigidity of the material under different vsta'igges of. heatingf.V

- By the xmeans herein described I am enabled' to accomplish. the desired resultwith abrel'atilvely smallifurnace andat'th same time' avoid the` ditfieult-ies and disa dvantages incident toV either passing the metal in un- 'coiledzforin through a long furnaceor attem'pting' to uhcoil and manipulatelit while it is beingheated. By niy methodI am also able to readily so regulate the .rate of heating to the Character of the material and the requirements of the particularimachine to which it is to be supplied. that a const'ant supply of the material heated to the desiired In the temperature will be available..

= vOther obfects and advantages ofwm y 'iii- Tention will'V appear' fromthe following de-V scription.V a acc/ompanyinxgV drawings Figu're 1 is a plan View of afurnaceand associated apparatus embodying my inv'ention; Figure 2.is a front elevation of the furnace; Figure 8 is a view 'partly in eleVat-ion andpartly in section 'showing a metal holder ordr'eel,V and means for rotatively supporting thesame at the material delivery `point; Figurel is a lView of the reel'sup'porting mechanisni. at

.3; and Figure '5 is rightangles to Figure p aplan View along the line 5.-5' of .Fig'uff'e 3.

-1 is the rear,l andand 3 vthe side. walls of the furnace which` is provided with front openings adapted to be closed by doorspt and. 5. A` closed two-rail trackz 6 extends through the furnace chamber and has a portion outside Vthe furnace, as shown.l Thelmaterialto be heated visconveyed through theV furnace in coil form,v prefe'rablythe ordinary commercial coils as obtained from rod heate'd rod and ,delivering it Ato`l theV bolt 'm'achie located outsidethe fu'rnace,zmechanisrh 'is employed for 7eleVat-ingfronithetrackland rotatably supportinga coil holderwhen it has been conveyedto the delivery position V(the position of holder 7 inztheV furnace as shown in the d'rawing). ,i This mechanism is best shown in'Figures 8, At and 5 and comprises a Vertical .spindle 10 having ;af ,conicalj upper end 11 and rotativel supported at its'loiVe-r ndbybearing means 12. To non-vfrictioiially maintain lthe spindlew in Vertical. position rollers 13, M and 15 va're ,employech' all of which bear onL thespindle.` 13 fand lthar'e fixedlycm'ouinted; as shownpand ;15 isimountledonthe end of-lever 16,,which is pivotally mounted at17. This lever 1'6 is :norm'ally Vheldf in operatiye position. byc meansV of` a spring;` not shown,l but,,1na lie vactuated ,Q'

withdr'aw roller .tlzicfro'm contact,| Withzithe 'spindle in order w thatl the'l spindle zrnayv be more; readilyfelevated to its'operating. 1105it`ion.The spindlecelevating meohanism; comprises thegbar 178 slidingly s-efcured to' the uprights- 19 anddandby meansiof links V21 and to cranks andfi von shaft 25;l This shaft is' rotated by means of Crank 26 Iiconnected thereto by chain and sprocketgearing, as shown;l

i The co`il holde`rs,or. reels haveahub 2x7 provided with acconicialirecess opening downward ,for re'ception andzre'ady engagement with the end ofthe spindle and have spaced i arms, as,Shown,,forsupporting the coilsfof material tobe heated. The base of the hub `ofgthfe holder is adapted to rest, on thenrails Vofthe track'j and is'provfidedwith, a cirula'r' projecting shoulder 28 asshown (see dottfed' lines on :holder .713), extendingbelow the surface of the; rails whichengage'sfwith the inner. sides,v of the Vrails to maintain'- the holder in positionzthereo'n as' itis slided along.

I have found it desirable tocurve the cnds of the reel arms in the dirertion opposite to the direction of rotation of the .rcel in order to reduce the nterference to rotation of the holder which would occur when the rod slipped elf the end of a straight arm before the arm had passed from the line of motion of the rotl to the delivery opening in the forward wall. i i

I have also found it desirable to provide the holder with pivoted retaining members 29 which ovcrlie the coils and the ends of which are likewise curved in the same direction and for the same reason as the ends of the lower arms of the holder, the rod being here normally delivered from the under side of the retainers and often from contact therewith. i i i .i

Referring to the operation of the appara' tus described, the furnace chamber majT he heated by any suitable means, not shown, and coil holders with coils of the rod mate' rial to be heated are progrcssively introduced therein at sullicient iutervals, until the furnace is fully chargcd with material, that the various coils will have been sutliciently heated by the time but not before they reach the delivery position in the furnace. The furnace having thus been established in operation and the coil at the delivery point brought to the desired temperature, the spindle 10 is elevated, therehy lifting the coil holder from the track `and rotativelv mounting it, whereby the rod may be u11- wound and pass from theifurnace to the bolt machine through the opening 9 in the furnace wall. During the period of withdrawing the material from this coil the other coils in the furnace are being progressively brought to the proper temperature. then the material is delivered i from`` the coil holder the spindle is lowered to replace the holder on track and it is brought out of the furnacethrough door 5; the nextsuccceding coil to the rear in the furnace is brought to the ``delivery point; and the other coils therein each moved forward, wherebj,Y the empty holder `(7, for example, two positions of which are shown in the drawings) can be provided with another coil to be `heated while on the outer portion of the track and inserted into the furnace through the door Li.

Itwill be apparent from the foregoing that I am enabled to maintain a constant supply of heated rod for the bolt| machine, the only necessary interruption in the operation of that machine being the time required to shift a coil to the delivery position from a position adjacent thereto. By regulating the temperature of the furnace and the amount of material in a given coil I can readly adjustthe operation to proper conditions for different sizes ofniaterial and different rates of delivery.

Moditications in the particular apparatus hcrein described can be made without departing from my invention and I therefore do not intend that its scope be limited other than by the appended claims. w

Having fullY described mv invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: l. In apparatus for heating material in coils``` a furnace rhamber having a i'l'laterial delivery opening, a closed track a portion of which is located outside the chamher and a portion within said chumler,a pluralityvof material holdcrs mountcd to move on1 said track, and rot-atable holder supporting means positioned to be engageable with: a holder when same is in a predetermined position with respect to the material delivery opening of the furnace. g v o 2.111 allipa'atus for hcating material in coils, a furnace chamber havinga material delivery opening, a closed track a portion of which located outside the Chamber and a portion within said Chamber, a plurality of material holders mounted to move on said track, rotatable holder supporting means positioued to be engageable with a. holder when same is in a predetermined; position with respect to the material delivery openin of the furnace, and means to actuate said holder support to clevate the holder. i

3. 'lu apparatus for heating material in coils, a furnace Chamber having a material delivery opening, a coil holder movable in the chamber, and means operable When the holder is in a predetermined position with respect to said delivery opening to` permit the holder to rotate for the withdrawal of a coil thcrefrom by uuwinding.

4. In apparatus for heating material in coils, a furnace Chamber having a material delivery opening, a coil holder movable1 in the chamber, and a vertical spindle extending into the Vchainber and adapted to: beengageable with the holder to rotatably support the same. i S i 5. In apparatus for heating material in coils, a furnace Chamber having a material delivei7 opening, a track n the chamber, a coil holder movable on said track, and a vertical spindlc beneath the track and adapted to be engageable with the holder to rotatably support the same.` i i (3. In apparatus for heating coils, a furnace Chamber havinga material delivery opening, a track in the chamber, a coil holder n'iovable on said track, a Vertical spindlc bencath the track adapted to he e11- gagcable with the holder to rotatably support the .same`` and ineansifor actuating the spindle to elevatc the holder out of engagenient with the track. i i i f 7. ln apparatus of the class described,`a coil holder comprising a hub having a Iecess in the lower tace thereof for the reception of a spindle, coil supporting arms carricdby material in rearwardly curved and the lower part of saidrhub being provided With a guide projection; i I

9. In apparatus ofthe class desoribed, a coil holder coinprising` a hub and coil supporting arms carried thereby and having their ends rearwardly Curved, and pivoted '1' retaining members carried by the holder 'and vadapted to overlie a coil thereon, the ends of said members being rearwa'rdly Curved.

signature this 18 day of December, 1926.

' EDVARD J. MILLER.

i rIn testiinony whereofil hereunto alfix m'y I 

